Minerals And Gems Codexery

Limonite

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It is one of the three principal iron ores, alongside hematite and magnetite, and has been mined for iron production since at least 400 BC.[1] The name derives from the Ancient Greek word for "wet meadow" or "marshy lake," referencing its occurrence as bog iron ore in meadows and marshes.[2] Hydrated iron(III) oxide-hydroxides in varying proportions make up the iron ore known as limonite.[1]

Key facts and history

One of the first uses of limonite was as a pigment, with the yellow form producing yellow ochre for which Cyprus was famous.[3] Limonite's specific gravity falls between 2.7 and 4.3, and its color is typically a medium to dark yellowish brown.[4] A yellowish brown streak on unglazed porcelain is characteristic of limonite, setting it apart from hematite and magnetite.[5] Originally thought to be a single mineral, limonite is now understood to be a field term covering a mixture of hydrated iron oxide minerals, including goethite, lepidocrocite, akaganeite, and jarosite.[6]

Limonite typically originates from the hydration of hematite and magnetite, the oxidation and hydration of iron-rich sulfide minerals, and the chemical weathering of other iron-rich minerals like olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite.[7] In Africa, where the earliest evidence of iron metallurgy has been found, limonite is the most common iron ore.[8] In Tanzania, elaborate methods were created for processing limonite.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Limonite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: MacEachern, Scott (1996) "Iron Age beginnings north of the Mandara Mountains, Cameroon and Nigeria" pp. 489–496 In Pwiti, Gilbert and Soper, Robert (edito; Diop-Maes, Louise Marie (1996) "La question de l'Âge du fer en Afrique" ("The question of the Iron Age in Africa") Ankh 4/5: pp. 278–303, in French; archi (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Limonite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; "Glossary of Geology", American Geological Institute, 1997; Jackson 1997, p. "brown iron ore" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Limonite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Constantinou, G. and Govett, G. J. S. (1972). "Genesis of sulphide deposits, ochre and umber of Cyprus". Transactions of the Institution of Mining and Metallurg (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Limonite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Northrop, Stuart A. (1959) "Limonite" Minerals of New Mexico (revised edition) University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico, pp. 329–333, (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Limonite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nesse, "Introduction to mineralogy", Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 371–372 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Limonite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Klein, "Manual of mineralogy: (after James D. Dana)", Wiley, 1993; Nesse, "Introduction to mineralogy", Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 371–372; Mackay, "β-Ferric oxyhydroxide—akaganéite", Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society, December 1962, p. 270–280; Zuo, "Two types of jarosite in the early Cambrian sedimentary rocks: Insights for genesis and transformation of jarosite on Mars", Icarus, November 2021; Nesse, "Introduction to mineralogy", Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 371–372; Boswell, P. F. and Blanchard, Ro en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Limonite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nesse, "Introduction to mineralogy", Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 371–372; Rubisov, "Sulphuric acid pressure leaching of laterites — universal kinetics of nickel dissolution for limonites and limonitic/saprolitic blends", Hydrometallurgy, November 2000, p. 1–11; Gao, "Study on the preparation of spinel ferrites with enhanced magnetic properties using limonite laterite ore as raw materials", Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, August 2018, p. 213–222 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Limonite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Iron oxide becomes metallic iron at roughly 1250°C, almost 300 degrees below iron's melting point of 1538°C. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Limonite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schmidt, Peter and Avery, Donald H. (22 September 1978) "Complex Iron Smelting and Prehistoric Culture in Tanzania" Science201(4361): pp. 1085–1; Wagner, Donald B. (1999) "The earliest use of iron in China" pp. 1–9 In Young, Suzanne M. M. et al. (editors) (1999) Metals in Antiquity Archaeopress; Jockenhövel, Albrecht et al. (1997) "Archaeological Investigations on the Beginning of Blast Furnace-Technology in Central Europe" Abteilung für Ur- und Frühges (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Limonite (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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MagnesiteMagnetiteMicroclineMonaziteMuscoviteNative copperOchreOlivineOoliteOrpimentOrthoclasePainite

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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